


the Paradox Principle

by Omorka



Category: Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984), Firefly
Genre: Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-23
Updated: 2010-07-23
Packaged: 2017-10-10 18:18:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/102662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omorka/pseuds/Omorka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Simon rescues River from a nightmarish experiment, with a little help from an unexpected source.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the Paradox Principle

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt "Buckaroo Banzai/Firefly, Buckaroo Banzai/Simon Tam, brain, water, alive."

"I can't see -" Simon brushed the draggled ends of his hair back out of his eyes. Another cable fell, sparking, into the cold torrent rushing past him; he dodged, found his footing again, and turned back to the awful thing in front of him - cage, chair, torture device, all at once. River's eyes stared, glazed and unblinking, at the one buzzing blue light fixture above them. Was she conscious? He didn't know. It didn't matter. What mattered was that she was still alive - and he needed to get this probe, this _thing_ out of her skull while keeping it that way.

"Hold still, _mei-mei_," he whispered, pressing the scalpel carefully against the edge where metal met skin. She didn't flinch as the blade severed the two; she didn't move.

A voice at his elbow stated, "You'll need the inter-amygdalic probe steadied while you're severing the extraneural connections. You can't do that with two hands and still keep the bleeding under control."

Simon would have been startled if it hadn't been for so many hours in so many emergency rooms; he briefly wondered if this was one of the technicians at the facility - but he couldn't spare the concentration to check. "I agree," he said, keeping his voice calm. "Care to lend me one extra?"

"I can give you two," the voice replied, and steady fingers reached for the long, stiff wire. "I hate to tell you this, but we're under time pressure. I think you've been followed."

"I know," Simon said simply, and began edging the neural probe out of his sister's brain tissue.

\---

This end of the warehouse complex was no longer flooded. The floor was wet; it must have just drained. Simon felt the same.

The stranger was bent over the impromptu gurney they'd rigged from a crate-top and a broken hoverlift. "She's breathing just fine," he reported. "Pupil response is good. Blood pressure and pulse are normal. She'll live."

"I know," Simon breathed - just as his knees gave out. He slumped heavily against the wall and slid to the floor, trembling. The damp of the concrete beneath him began seeping through his already-wet trousers.

The stranger darted over, paused, then sat crosslegged next to him. "She _is_ your _imouto-chan_ \- your _mei-mei_ \- isn't she? That was very brave of you."

"Not at all." Simon's head rolled back; he was shaking so hard he could barely focus on the other man - the other doctor, he must be; he'd understood exactly what to do during every stage of the jury-rigged operation. "No one else would, and she'd have died if I didn't."

"Well, I would have, if I'd figured out what was going on in time. But I might not have." The other doctor gestured at the hoverlift. "We don't have this technology where I come from."

"You're from out on the Rim?" Simon blinked; the other man was dressed like someone from the core worlds, although his color choices were strange.

"Further than that, I think. I'm pretty sure I missed Planet Ten completely." The stranger sat back against the wall. "They impounded the thermopod - those guys with the blue gloves - but I don't think they understand the controls. It's a good thing you guys don't play video games anymore."

Simon didn't follow most of that. "They impounded your ship? For what? And kids play plenty of games on video systems - I loved the hologame version of Soldier Carnival when I was ten."

"Don't worry about it. The temperature differential here should have recharged the batteries by now, and I think I know how to get back to it." A warm hand clasped his shoulder. "Are you going to be okay, doctor?"

"Call me Simon." If the stranger was part of the facility, he already knew his name, and if he wasn't, it was unlikely that telling him would hurt.

"Buckaroo," the stranger said in response. "So, are you okay, Simon?"

"I will be once I get my feet under me again." Simon glanced at his chronometer. "My ride should be back in about fifteen minutes."

Buckaroo smiled gently. "Then we'd better get the adrenaline cleared out of your system so you're functional again. I could stand to get rid of some, as well." He leaned over and brushed his lips against Simon's cheek; a tiny spark of electricity danced between them against the damp.

"What -?" Simon turned to protest, then stopped, as his body caught on to the strange doctor's intentions before he did. "But we've just met!"

"And we're unlikely to meet again, as we're both on the run." Buckaroo sat back again. "If you're not up for it, just say so."

Simon's mind whirled for a second. It wasn't the first time he'd dealt with post-op jitters this way, but -

"Okay," he agreed, and Buckaroo's mouth closed on his eagerly.

Simon reached up to loosen the other doctor's tie, as a pair of nimble hands traced the lines of his ribs beneath his shirt. A soft moan, barely more than a hum, rewarded him as he nipped at Buckaroo's ear. Those hands began drifting downwards, and warm pressure at his groin made Simon arch his back.

"Yeah, that's more like it," Buckaroo chuckled, and straddled Simon, their chests pressed closely together. He ground against him slowly, his own arousal painfully evident through his slacks.

"Nice," Simon forced out between gasps. He rolled his hips back against Buckaroo's, although the angle they made with the wall made it awkward.

"Very," agreed the other doctor, a flush rising in his own features. "Edge forward a bit."

Simon did; suddenly, the angle they were thrusting at was much better. His hands clutched at the fabric of the other man's shirt. "Aahh."

"Go ahead, make a little noise." Buckaroo smiled down at him. "There aren't any cameras in this end of the complex; I made sure of that before I ran into you. We've got a little privacy."

Simon groaned. It had been a very long time since he'd had any sort of sexual release at all, and his was building fast. Maybe Buckaroo had been right about the adrenaline. At least he was shaking for a completely different reason now.

"About ready?" Buckaroo asked. Simon nodded, out of words; the other doctor smiled and kissed him again. Simon shuddered, gasped, and dug his fingers into the lavender fabric of the other man's shirt; Buckaroo laid his head against Simon's shoulder and growled, low and strong, as his thighs clenched.

A low thrum shook the building. "Think your ride's here early," Buckaroo said, lifting his head and wiping a trickle of sweat from his eyes. "Good thing a little extra moisture's not going to show." He pushed himself back to an upright stance, raised one hand in a half-salute, and darted back into the corridor they'd emerged from.

River sat up abruptly. "She's here. She misses us." She let herself down from the pallet balanced on the hoverlift's front fork and paced across the wet floor, leaving footprints against the dampness that faded slowly.

Simon levered one arm against the wall to stand back up; she offered him one small hand. "Come on," she whispered. "Let's go home."


End file.
